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Wednesday, 24 January 2018

Book Review: Truth or Dare by Non Pratt

How far is too far when it comes to the people you love?

Claire Casey hates being the centre of attention. But if it means getting Sef Malik to notice her, it’s a risk she’s happy to take. Sef is prepared to do anything to help his recently disabled brother. But this means putting Claire’s love – and life – on the line. Because when you're willing to risk everything, what is there left to lose?

Oh my, this book was certainly a rollercoaster ride. Taking you on a journey from the lowest lows to the highest highs, Non Pratt's expert storytelling weaves a tale which is indescribably bittersweet.

Truth or Dare is the first book I've read by Non Pratt, despite hearing the name recommended again and again as an author to watch out for. As a result, I entered the story with some quite high expectations - expectations which were met and surpassed as I progressed through the book.

This is a Young Adult novel filled with all the pain, love, lust and heartache that permeates the genre, yet it is so brilliantly anchored in the trappings of the modern world that it becomes a perfect representation of today's teen culture. Vlogging, YouTube, and making a name for yourself online is as much a part of the story as the usual character development arc, and indeed, the characters themselves.

From start to finish, the words hooked me and drew me in, keeping me turning page after page and reading way past my bedtime as I did my best to find out how the story ended. In fact, the midway cliffhanger was so sudden and so unexpected that it completely shocked me - despite the slow-growing tension and apprehensiveness slowly winding its way through the pages leading up to it.

The book is split into two halves, one from Claire's point of view and the other from Sef's viewpoint. This sudden change in narrator should be disorienting, but it actually works well and helps us to rewind from the fast-paced rush leading up to the cliffhanger. It's interesting, it's involving, and above all, it's engaging.

Despite this, however, two of the main themes woven throughout the discourse is the feelings of love and loss. Both of our main characters have experienced great loss in their young lives, a fact which draws the two together and sets the whole story in motion. While it's a work of fiction, it bares its truth in the underlying reality that in the real world, accidents do happen. They can happen to anyone at any time, and the reality is that these accidents can have devastating consequences for a great number of people.

Truth or Dare deals with these complex themes in remarkably sophisticated ways, only further working to cement Non Pratt's status as a master of her craft.